New search in Alexis Murphy case

Two weeks before the murder trial of Randy Allen Taylor is scheduled to begin on May 1, investigators from multiple law enforcement agencies searched property around his former Nelson County residence, according to NBC 29.

Taylor is charged with first-degree murder in the disappearance of 17-year-old Alexis Murphy, who was last seen around 7:15pm last August 3 at the Liberty gas station in Lovingston.

Taylor was arrested a week later and initially charged only with her abduction. Additional charges, including murder, were placed against him in January, although Murphy’s body has not been found. Citing the high-profile nature of the case, prosecutors have successfully argued in Nelson County Circuit Court that evidence in the case should be sealed. Murphy’s family told NBC 29 that the latest search was not prompted by a specific tip.

“Oh, look at that, it’s the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile!” Two excited women race across the parking lot of Reid’s Supermarket on Preston Avenue yesterday and marvel at what appears to be an enormous hot dog on wheels—they immediately begin taking selfies. Isaac Wilker is one of two

In November, C-VILLE reported on locals who spent their Thanksgiving holiday protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline at Standing Rock Reservation. The Army Corps of Engineers halted its construction weeks later, but some say the fight isn’t over. Holding a sign that says, “STOP DAPL FOR GOOD,”

When Bank of America closes its branch doors downtown in February, it leaves a grand 1916 building in its wake that will house a steakhouse, according to building owner Hunter Craig. And while he declined to identify the grilled meat purveyor, he did say it would be locally owned, not a

Elizabeth Valtierra was nervous. Like many across the nation, the Charlottesville High School senior spent election night with her family, gathered around a television in the living room. As the earliest states were called for Donald Trump, her family made jokes and tried to laugh it off. They

And the next election cycle begins Charlottesville Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Joe Platania says he’ll seek his boss’ job in 2017. Commonwealth’s Attorney Dave Chapman plans to retire after 24 years as the city’s top prosecutor. And state Senator Bryce Reeves officially threw his hat into

President-elect Donald Trump, known for his uncanny ability to raise eyebrows with 140 characters or less, sent out this particularly scrutinized tweet November 29: “Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag—if they do, there must be consequences—perhaps loss of citizenship or a year

Even before Mark Brown listed the Main Street Arena for sale for $6.5 million in September, the rumor mill was working overtime about possible buyers for the prime Downtown Mall location, including speculation back in the spring that a Japanese developer wanted to turn it into a hotel. The

Another unremarkably named structure will soon be joining The Flats and The Uncommon student housing on West Main: The Standard. Located across the street from The Flats on the site of the soon-to-be demolished Republic Plaza, the six-story, 70′ structure has already raised concerns about

Christopher Seymore, an ex-officer with the Charlottesville Police Department, appeared in the city’s general district court via webcam December 2. Charged the previous day with two counts of forcible sodomy, he was denied bond until he can meet with his court-appointed attorney. Seymore, 35,

In early November, an Albemarle County police K9 bit and injured a colt owned by an Augusta County farm owner—just a year and a half after a dog with the Charlottesville Police Department attacked a child. Is it time for man’s best friend to be laid off? While on a jog with its handler November

Tired of tucking tags into your new party dress so you can return it after you wear it to a big event? You’re in luck—two local innovators have solved that problem for you. And it’s completely legal. Introducing Rohvi, a technology platform that allows subscribers to buy full-price items at

Even in November, balmy weather and the Virginia Film Festival had throngs out on the Downtown Mall. But it wasn’t always that way. For years after Charlottesville bricked its main street in 1976, the place was a ghost town after 5pm. Landscape architect Lawrence Halprin’s early 1970s vision of

We’ve all heard tales of the first Thanksgiving in 1621, a three-day feast among Native Americans and pilgrims, celebrating the latter’s first harvest in the New World. This year, some locals spent the holiday at Standing Rock Reservation, supporting the indigenous people in North and South

Vice-Mayor Wes Bellamy, a teacher at Albemarle High School, has agreed to take an administrative leave of absence while the school division investigates “vulgar” tweets he made before being elected to Charlottesville City Council, according to a statement today from the Albemarle

Another development planned for West Main Street comes in the form of a Richmond-based, 75-room boutique hotel and art gallery called Quirk. On August 30, an application for the project was presented to the Board of Architectural Review, and neighbors were there to voice their concerns. “It’s

Judge rebukes city City Council’s prohibition against group defamation during public comment “offends both the First and 14th” amendments, according to Judge Norman Moon, who issued an injunction November 18 to halt the practice. He also rejected the city’s motion to dismiss the suit filed by

A journey to India for meditation and enlightenment in late November 2008 turned into a terrorist bloodbath that left 164 people dead throughout multiple locations in Mumbai. Among them were a father and daughter from Synchronicity Foundation in Nelson County. Days later, the modern

Sandra Marks, aka Psychic Catherine, was sentenced to 30 months in jail November 18 in federal court for bilking victims in search of spiritual solace, and she was ordered to pay more than $5.4 million in restitution. In court and in a sentencing memo, Marks’ attorney, Bill Dinkin, said

Wrapped in a blue fleece blanket covered in pineapples, a sleepy Dori Mock has held her place as first in line at the supermarket’s November 6 grand opening since 4am. “I’m buying into the hype,” she says, though she’s never been to a Wegmans and doesn’t quite know what to expect. A crew of six